Despite absorbing his first defeat of the season in last night’s loss to the Tigers, Chris Sale (5-1) was outstanding. In seven innings of work, he gave up just one run and five hits while striking out 10–and lowered his ERA to 1.97. Chris recorded his 13th career double-digit strikeout game and third of the season. His career mark is now tied for third in franchise history with Javier Vazquez. It was also his third career outing with at least 10 strikeouts and no walks.

Avi Begins the Road Back

With Sox trainer Herm Schneider watching, Avi Garcia celebrated his 23rd birthday yesterday by playing catch for the first time since his shoulder injury.

I was at our Camelback Ranch facility in Glendale today and had the opportunity to seeU.S. Olympic speed skater Eddy Alvarez (in top photo below), who signed with us earlier this week, take batting practice. Also there was Micker Adolfo Zapata (bottom photo), the Dominican outfielder who signed with the Sox a year ago when he was 16. Upon signing, Micker was the No. 2 ranked international prospect by MLB.com.

Oh, By the Way

How hot was it in the Phoenix area today? Here’s the answer–and it even got up to 112.

Ceremonial First Pitchers

Last night, former Northern Illinois star and current Chicago Bear Jordan Lynch did the honors. Tonight it’s actor and comedian Kevin Hart and tomorrow it’s Bear Rinehart, guitarist and lead vocalist of NEEDTOBREATHE. On Tuesday, Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez, one of the heroes of the 2005 Sox postseason, will throw out the first pitch and on Wednesday it’s actor/director Rob Reiner‘sturn.

Quote of the Day

According to what I've dug up @whitesox are 45-25-2 on Friday The 13th NOT SO UNLUCKY!

White Sox vs. Tigers at U.S. Cellular Field (7:10 p.m., CT, CSN) as the Sox shoot for the sweep of what turned out to be, because of Tuesday’s postponement, a three-game series. Starters: LHP Chris Sale (5-0, 2.06) for the Sox, RHP Max Scherzer (7-2, 3.38) for Detroit.

On the strength of a seven-run sixth inning against Detroit ace Justin Verlander and his bullpen mates, the Sox tamed the Tigers last night for the second consecutive game, 8-2…Jose Abreu launched his 19th homer and added a pair of singles, Gordon Beckham and Conor Gillaspie each drove in a pair of runs and John Danks gave up just two runs, six hits and two walks while striking out six as he earned his fifth victory of the season.

More Abreu

Jose hit a homer in back-to-back games for the third time this season and second time against both the Tigers and Verlander. Abreu now has joined Wally Berger (20 home runs in 1930) as the only players in baseball history with 19-plus homers in their first 52 career games.

The White Sox are second in the American League with a .275 batting average with runners in scoring position, including .371 over the last four games…the Sox also are hitting .288 as a club with seven homers and 27 runs scored in their last six games…they have homered in eight of the last nine games…the Sox are 5-0 in their last five games against the AL Central…Our starters own a 3.12 ERA in 20 games since May 20, the Sox bullpen owns a 0.86 ERA over the last eight games and a 1.69 ERA with five saves in the last 12…Danks has a 1.55 ERA over his last four starts, holding his opponents to a .178 average. he has recorded a 2.96 ERA in seven starts at home this season…AdamEaton tripled last night–accomplishing the feat in back-to-back games for the first time in his career…Alejandro De Aza is hitting .400 during his five-game hitting streak…the Sox have acquired outfielder MattTuiasosopo, 28, from the Blue Jays for cash considerations and reports to Class AAA Charlotte. Tuiasosopo has played in 152 major league games with the Mariners and, most recently, the Tigers in 2013.

World Cup Fever in the White Sox Clubhouse

With the World Cup kicking off today in Brazil, a couple of Sox teammates, Brazilian AndreRienzo and Cuban Alexei Ramirez, have initiated a friendly wager.

If Brazil wins, Ramirez will have to be photographed wearing a Brazilian jersey. If Argentina wins, Rienzo will have to don and be photographed wearing the jersey of his country’s fiercest rival.

“I hope Brazil wins, because if I get a picture of me (with the Argentina jersey) people will kill me,” Rienzo admitted.

Here is Rienzo (with his arms around teammates Javy Guerra and Eaton) and teammates showing off their World Cup pride. Other Sox (from left to right) are: Dayan Viciedo, JoseQuintana, Ramirezand Abreu. (Photo compliments of the Trib’s Colleen Kane).

White Sox vs. Tigers at U.S. Cellular Field (7:10 p.m., CT, WCIU) as the now three-game series resumes after last night’s postponement. Starters: LHP John Danks (4-5, 4.32) for the Sox, RHP Justin Verlander (6-5, 4.19) for Detroit.

Danks is 1-1 with a 1.21 ERA over his last three starts. He earned the win in his last outing on June 4 against the Dodgers in LA, tossing 7.1 innings, allowing just one run on two hits while striking out five and walking three. It was his ninth quality start of the season and he’s 2-2 with a 3.03 ERA in six starts at USCF.

White Sox starters own an American League-best 3.16 ERA in 19 games since May 20…the Sox bullpen has recorded a 1.69 ERA over its last 12 games.

En Fuego

Jose Abreu is hitting .388 with five doubles, five home runs and 15 RBI in his last 12 home games. Gordon Beckham is batting .393 over his last seven games and .344 over his last 23. Adam Dunn is hitting .375 with three home runs and five RBI in his last four games while Conor Gillaspie is at .538 over his last four games and is batting .397 over his last 20.

Sox Notes of Note

The White Sox have agreed to terms with nine of their Top 10 selections in the 2014 First-Year Player Draft, including second-rounder RHP Spencer Adams (44th overall) and third-rounder LHP Jace Fry (77th overall), and 28 players total. Adams is from White County High School in Cleveland, Ga. Fry is an Oregon State product…the Sox have acquired right-handed pitcher Shawn Hill from Toronto in exchange for cash and assigned him to Class AAA Charlotte. He went 2-1 with a 4.85 ERA in six games (four starts) with Class AAA Buffalo.

Here are Adams (top) and Fry signing their contracts today at U.S. Cellular Field:

Quote of the Day

Although Avi Garcia is extremely frustrated he can’t be with his teammates on the field this season because of his injury, he knows he has a lot to look forward to. Here are his thoughts on teammate Abreu and what it will be like to be in the lineup with Jose when he returns.

“Amazing. He has a lot of power. He’s great in the field. He has a great attitude, everything. He’s good. I’m happy to have him here on the team, and I can’t wait to see what we can do together. Let’s see what happens. Let’s go.”

White Sox vs. Indians at U.S. Cellular Field (7:10 p.m., CT, WCIU). Starters: LHP Chris Sale (2-0, 1.76) for the Sox, RHP Carlos Carrasco (0-1, 6.35) for Cleveland. Chris will make his third start of the season, his second at home. In his last start, against the Royals, Sale allowed just four singles and struck out six over eight scoreless innings. He is 17-10 with a 2.71 ERA over 31 career starts at USCF.

Jose Abreu hit two homers and drove in three and Alexei Ramirez also went deep with three ribbies in the Sox’ 7-3 victory last night…Adam Eaton went 2-4 with a run scored and an RBI…John Danks got credit for the win, his first of the season, going six innings and allowing three runs with two walks and four strikeouts…Daniel Webb made his first scoreless appearance with two perfect innings and now leads all Sox relievers with 6.1 IP.

Entering tonight’s game, the White Sox lead the major leagues in runs per game (6.10) and home runs (15) and rank second in average (.287), OPS (.820), slugging (.472) and on-base percentage (.348). Our six homers and 15 runs against the Rockies on Tuesday are both single-game highs in the majors this season.

Sox Notes of Note

The Sox broke a 14-game losing streak against the Indians with last night’s victory…Sox lefty starters have made quality starts in all six of their starts this season…John Danks earned his first career home win against Cleveland…Abreu hit his first career homer at U.S. Cellular Field and his second multi-homer game of the young season. He has four homers in his past three games and is the first Sox player to have two multi-homer games within his first 10 career games. The last major leaguer to do it was the Royals’ Mark Quinn in 1999. Jose has also driven in 14 runs in his first 10 games of the season, the most for the Sox since Ron Kittle in 1983 (14)…Ramirez hit homer No. 2 and recorded his ninth RBI after his two-run double in the fourth inning. His current hitting streak is at 10, collecting a hit in every game this year…Eaton had his third consecutive multi-hit game. He’s hitting .500 (6-12) over that span and .310 this season…Happy Birthday to Alejandro De Aza. The Sox outfielder is 30 today…the Sox have acquired outfielder GorkysHernandez from the Royals for cash considerations and assigned him to Class AAA Charlotte. Hernandez is 26 and has played 70 games in the major leagues for the Pirates and Marlins…Below, Abreu shows his support for friend and teammate Avi Garcia, who is unfortunately out for the season with an injured left shoulder.

Thome and “Opening Knight”

I’m in Charlotte today with Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and Jim Thome, who has the honor of throwing out the first pitch before tonight’s home opener between the Knights and the Norfolk Tides as our Class AAA affiliate opens up brand new BB&T ballpark in the city’s uptown. As I posted on Tuesday, Jim, who is now a special assistant to Rick Hahn, played in Charlotte in 1993 when it was an Indians affiliate, hit a league-best .332 with 25 home runs and 102 RBI on his way to winning the International League Most Valuable Player award. He helped the Knights win a franchise-record 86 games that year and win the first Governor’s Cup championship in team history. Here’s something that very few of us will ever experience–stepping on an elevator and discovering a life-sized photo of ourself. Maybe it doesn’t happen to most people, but it did happen to Jim today upon our arrival in Charlotte. And what did he do? He autographed the photo.

Getting in Shape

Sox reliever Donnie Veal gets the students at Langford Community Academy moving today. Veal, Sox Director of Conditioning Allen Thomas and Southpaw were there to talk about the importance of nutrition and being active.

The Big Hurt on “Jimmy Kimmel”…and a Tribute to the Hall of Famer at the Ballpark.

“Those guys did a great job. I put us in an early hole. They have no quit. This is a fun team to be on. The guys are gonna play until the last out. We saw that today. They didn’t hang their heads. They went to work.”

Relating a conversation he had with Sale about Abreu:

“We want to go thank Rick (Hahn) right now for signing him. He’s fun to watch, and it’s scary but he’s only going to get better.”

Avi Garcia will miss the remainder of the season with a torn labrum in his left shoulder suffered yesterday attempting to make a diving catch in the sixth inning against the Rockies. Garcia is scheduled to undergo surgery within the next week at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Replacing Garcia on the roster is OF Jordan Danks.

“It’s a lousy day,” Sox GM Rick Hahn said today, referring to Garcia’s injury. “One of the cruel realities of sports.” Hahn also revealed that Avi is crushed after hearing the bad news, but indicated that he’s still very much a part of the Sox future and should be ready for spring training next year.

Tonight’s Game

White Sox vs. Indians at U.S. Cellular Field (7:10p.m., CT, CSN) in the first of a four-game series. Starters: LHP John Danks (0-0, 3.68) for the Sox, RHP Danny Salazar (0-0, 3.18) for the Tribe.

Conor Gillaspie singled in a pair of runs, Adam Eaton singled twice, scored a run and drove in another in yesterday’s loss to the Rockies…Jose Abreu followed up his big night on Tuesday with a single and a double and Tyler Flowers collected a single and an RBI…Maikel Cleto struck out three in 1.1 innings pitched.

Sox Notes of Note

According to Hahn, reliever Nate Jones, currently on the disabled listwith a back issue,had an MRI and an epidural but is improving…Robin said today that with Garcia out, Dayan Viciedo will get the majority of time in the outfield over Jordan Danks.

Quotes of the Day

From yesterday’s pre-game interview with Abreu, who has often spoken about the influence of his mother:

Q: How often do you speak with your mother?

Abreu: Every day. I speak with her. I just talk with her today a little bit ago. She said congratulations on your performance last night. I said no, thank you for allowing me to be here and to be able to do that.

Q: Obviously we are all close to our mothers and we love our mothers. What is it about your relationship with your mother that is special to you?

Abreu: It is a beautiful thing. It is a beautiful relationship we have. I do have a good relationship with my dad, as well. Sometimes he does get jealous because, well, you know. But I think my mom is only one in the world. It is just the part where you can always talk to her and tell you how you feel, whether it’s good or whether it’s bad. And she’s always there for you. That’s the part that really makes it special to me.

Q: What is your father’s name?

Abreu: Jose Oriol Abreu

Q: What is your mother’s name?

Abreu: Daisys Correa

Q: What is the best piece of advice she gave you before you came here?

Abreu: She tells me the same thing all the time. That is – to be a better person. If you are a good person every day, then things are going to happen for you.

Q: How far off is it until your parents might be able to watch you on the field, in person?

Abreu: Right now I don’t really know exactly when they will be coming. I left that in God’s hands. But the day that they are here will be an unbelievable day. It will be one that we’re going to share together.

Purchase a seat in Section 154 tomorrow night as Sale goes for win No. 3 and join the “K Zone For Sale.” Get to the game early and head to the Sox Social Lounge just behind Section 154 and show them your ticket to receive a free“K Zone For Sale” t-shirt and special K Card. These items must be picked up before the end of the first inning.

Where do I start to describe the Sox’ convincing 15-3 victory last night over Colorado? Here goes: Jose Abreu hit the first homer of his career, a three-run blast after a 12-pitch at-bat in the seventh inning, then clouted No. 2 with a two-run shot in the eighth; Avi Garcia hit a pair of solo homers; Tyler Flowers went deep with a two-run shot and singled; Alexei Ramirez hit his first of the yearafter Garcia’s second round-tripper of the game in the eighth to add a back-to-back to the party…AdamEaton reached base five times with two singles, a walk, he was hit by a pitch, got on base via an error and scored three times…A. Garcia, who added two singles, and Marcus Semien led the 19-hit attack with four each. Semien had three singles and a double, a walk, drove in two and scored twice….Dayan Viciedo had a pair of hits, two RBI, a walk and two runs scored…Jose Quintana had an excellent start–seven IP, five hits, two earned runs, two walks and four strikeouts–for his first win of the season.

Click on the links below for video of the six home runs. In order, Abreu’s first two career homers, Flowers, Garcia’s two blasts and Ramirez.

The six homers in last night’s game is the most for the White Sox since June 24, 2009 vs. the Dodgers…It is also the first time two Sox players have hit two homers in the same game since Juan Uribe and Paul Konerko accomplished the feat on June 8, 2004 vs. the Phillies….Robin Ventura should feel very comfortable during this three-game series as Coors Field. In 24 games, 16 starts, he hit three homers, drove in 16, had 25 hits and walked 14 times. His batting average was .373, on-base percentage .476 and slugging percentage of .597. Maybe that had something to do with the 15-run explosion?…With Garcia (age 22) and Semien (23) each collecting four hits last night, here is the last time that teammates (both White Sox and MLB) 23-years-old and younger each had four-plus hits in a game. White Sox: April 20, 1980–Harold Baines (21) and Harry Chappas (22) each had four hits. MLB: September 19, 2000–Minnesota’s Luis Rivas (21) and Cristian Guzman (22) each had four hits as well.

Classic Call

Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of Hank Aaron‘s 715th homer, which broke Babe Ruth‘s long-standing career home run record. Here’s the great Vin Scully with the call. Enjoy!

Those 1983 “Winning Ugly” uniforms that were such a big hit with the Sox players and fans last year will be worn this season as alternate uniforms with a new “batterman” cap. They won’t be worn only on Sundays at home as they were for the most part in 2013, but rather anytime the players decide they want to wear them. See Photos of the Day.

Quote of the Day

Matt Davidson on the Sox wearing the ’83 throwback unis: “Awesome.”

Sox Note of Note

The Sox have claimed right-handed pitcher Maikel Cleto (Michael CLAY-toh) off waivers from the Kansas City Royals and have designated infielder Jake Elmore for assignment. Cleto, 24, split time last season between Class AAA Memphis in the Cardinals organization and Class AAA Omaha in the Royals system.

Hitters in camp early experienced the joy of facing live pitching today, with Jose Abreu and Avi Garcia drawing Chris Sale and Jose Quintana, among others. How’s that for a welcome to the big leagues for Abreu?

“How’s “take” practice going?” a coach asked as he walked up to the cage to see most hitters just tracking pitches.

“No one likes it,” said another about that first time in the cage against live pitching, “But you have to do it.”

Winter Woes

White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham spent most of the winter in Chicago and a little time back home in Atlanta.

“I’m just happy to get outside and move around,” he said.

Beckham’s timing this winter was horrible. After surviving a brutal Chicago winter, he escaped in time to land in Atlanta for the ice storm that shut down the city.

Big Men

Garcia stood next to Abreu at the batting cage today and made an impression.

“Avi Garcia managed to make Abreu look small and that’s not easy,” an observer noted. Here are the new teammates.

Quote of the Day

@ESPNChiSox: (Andre) Rienzo got Abreu to fly out twice during last spring’s WBC. Said Rienzo: “I told him we’re on the same team now and friends so forget it.”

Play of the Day

Garcia may have made Abreu look small, but when Sale saw the size of Jose as the slugger stepped into the batter’s box he kiddingly asked for someone to come out and relieve him.

Sox Note of Note

Adam Dunn will be wearing uniform number 44 this season (instead of 32), the number he wore with the Reds and Nationals.

White Sox vs. Royals at U.S. Cellular Field (7:10 p.m., CT, CSN) in the opener of a four-game series that will end the regular season. Starters: RHP Andre Rienzo (2-2, 5.04) for the Sox, RHP Jeremy Guthrie (14-12, 4.09) for Kansas City.

Hawk Harrelson will serve as a guest studio analyst on MLB Network’s MLB Tonight show during the network’s coverage of the ALDS and NLDS on October 4 and 5. Hawk will work with various MLB Network hosts and analysts from its studios in Secaucus, NJ.

Special Guests

Days of our Lives cast members are scheduled to appear at tonight’s game to throw out ceremonial first pitch and visit the #SoxSocial Lounge.

Play(s) of the Day

Avi Garcia homered (No. 7) and singled, Dayan Viciedo drove in a run with a single and Alexei Ramirez and Jordan Danks each had a pair of base hits in last night’s loss to the Indians.

“He’s just steady. He doesn’t change. The fact that he’s held it together with what he’s had to witness all year, with the rest of the coaches, I could tell you there probably are a lot of staffs and managers that this could have been really bad with what happened. But hopefully this is the last time he has to go through something like this.”

Tomorrow’s Schedule

White Sox vs. Royals at U.S. Cellular Field (7:10 p.m., CT, CSN+). Starters: In a battle of aces, it will be LHP Chris Sale (11-13, 2.97) for the Sox, RHP James Shields (12-9, 3.21) for K.C.

Did You Know…

…that with two more hits last night Avi Garcia is batting .373 with a triple, four homers, 15 RBI and 11 runs scored in his last 19 games?

White Sox vs. Indians at Progressive Field, Cleveland (6:05 p.m., CT, WCIU) in the opener of a two-game series. Starters: LHP Hector Santiago (4-9, 3.53) for the Sox, RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (12-9, 3.39) for the Tribe. Coming off of two straight wins, we’ll try to play the spoiler role the next couple of nights to derail the Indians’ wild card hopes.

The Sox youth corps was in full force in last night’s 3-2 triumph over the Blue Jays. Marcus Semien clubbed his first major league homer, a two-run shot, and Avisail Garcia hit a solo blast, his sixth…Jose Quintana was once again superb in 7.1 innings of work, allowing two runs, five hits and a walk while striking out six for his ninth win of the season…Addison Reed came on to earn his 39th save.

“Quintana is good. He mixes speeds, he moves in and around. He’s got a quick arm, the ball gets on you. He’s more explosive than the radar gun will show you. He’s got a feel. You can just tell he knows what he’s doing out there.”

Tomorrow’s Schedule

White Sox vs. Indians at Progressive Field (6:05 p.m., CT, WCIU) in the final game of the two-game set. Starters: RHP Dylan Axelrod (4-10, 5.72) for the Sox, RHP Danny Salazar (1-3, 3.09) for Cleveland.

Did You Know…

…that Quintana recorded his 17th quality start of the season last night and was 4-2 with a 1.68 ERA in eight starts against the American League East this year?

–that Semien is batting .342 with three doubles, a homer, five RBI and six runs scored over his last 11 games?

–that Avi is hitting .368 with a triple, three homers, 13 RBI and 10 runs scored over his last 13 games and has a .333 average since August 13?

Sox Note of Note

Lefty reliever David Purcey won’t pitch again this season due to a strained left Ultra Collateral Ligament. No surgery is needed at the present time and the injury is expected to heal with rest.

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